Grain screen cleaner



July 24, 1956 F. J. PAUL 2,755,931

GRAIN SCREEN CLEANER Filed May 16, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l 76 r 14 Q a l6 6 t 22 I 23 J 24 r I I Y Ll 4 INVENTOR. 11 FREDERICK J. PA UL July 24, 1956 F. J. PAUL 2,755,931

GRAIN SCREEN CLEANER Filed May 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0oo 0000: Q

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INVENTOR. FREDERICK J. PA UL ATTORNEXS July 24, 1956 F. J. PAUL 2,

GRAIN SCREEN CLEANER Filed May 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IOI FREDERICK J. PA UL A T TORNEYJ IOI Manufacturing Company, Brocton, N. Y.

Appiication May 16, 1952, Serial No. 288,126 Claims. (Cl. 209-388) This invention relates to grain cleaning and grading machines of the type shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 148,847, filed March 10, 1950, now Patent No. 2,683,533, dated July 13, 1954, which employ shaking screens for separating grain or the like into several grades according to size.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a machine of the class described a screen cleaning mechanism embodying improvements over the mechanism disclosed in my prior application aforesaid.

Another object is to provide an improved screen brushing control mechanism which is readily adjustable to compensate for slackening of the brush drive chains.

Another object is to provide an improved screen brushing mechanism wherein the brush devices may be individually adjusted positionally relative to the screen de vices for maximum utility.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a cleaning and grading machine embodying a screen cleaning mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section, taken along line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, on an enlarged scale, as along line III-III of Fig. 2, showing one of the brushing units of the machine in plan view; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

In the drawing the invention is shown in conjunction with a machine which is illustrated to comprise a stationary frame which includes uprights 10 and horizontal sills 12 supporting a pair of reciprocating shoes designated 14-16. The upper shoe 14 is suspended from the frame sills by means of leaf springs 18-19, and the lower shoe 16 is supported from the frame by leaf springs 26-21. Eccentrics 22-23 on a drive shaft 24 are connected to the shoes 14-16 respectively by connecting rods 25-26 for reciprocation of the shoes upon their spring mountings.

The shoe 14 includes coarse and fine inclined screens -31 formed of wire cloth or perforated sheet metal, or other suitable material; and the shoe 16 contains similar coarse and fine screens 32-33. The screens 39-32 are alike and the screens 31-33 are alike in respect to the size of their perforations or mesh, so that the corresponding screens effect the same separation of grain supplied to them into two grades, of which the smaller grade passes through the perforations while the larger grade escapes over the tail end of each screen.

The machine includes a feed hopper 35 which receives the grain to be separated and from which the grain passes into an ascending air duct 36 which is connected at its upper end with separating hopper 37 from which air is drawn into the intake port 38 of a pan 49. Battle boards 42-43 control the paths of flowinto the fan, and adjustable extensions 44 onthe batfie boards and on an enlarged scale,

a valve 45 permit adjustment of the air separation operation.

The upper shoe 14 is provided with a feed splitting device 46 of the grizzly type which comprises a series of spaced channels arranged to pass one half of the stream of grain falling thereon and to direct the other half to slide down through the channels onto a scalping screen 47 carried by the top shoe 14. The grain passing through the splitting device 46 falls upon a similar scalping screen 48 carried by the bottom shoe 16, and thus the oversize debris scalped" from the grain passes over the screens 47-48 into chutes 49-50 for disposal. The grain supplied to the feed hopper 35 of the machine, after passing through the preliminary air duct 36 is in this manner divided into two streams which are delivered first to the scalping screens 47-48. The materials passing through the scalping screens fall upon the screens 30-32, and the materials passing therethrough fall upon the screens 31-33. Fines passing through the screens 31-33 then fall upon bottom boards 52-54 which collect the smallest grade of grain passing through the device. The large grade of grain which escapes over the tail ends of the upper screens 30-32 passes through spouts 56-58 which lead laterally from the machine to any convenient point of collection. The grade of grain which is retained by the screens 31-33 is directed by channels 60 to slide down a chute 64. The finest size materials passing through the screens 31-33 are caught by the bottom boards 52-54 of the shoes, and are discharged therefrom through channels 66-68.

An ascending lower end the air duct 70 is provided to receive at its grade of grain retained by the screens 31-33, and air is drawn upwardly through the air duct 79 by the fan 40 as regulated by a valve 72 and the adjustable baffie boards 44. The upper end of the air duct '79 communicates with a separating hopper 74 which in turn communicates with the intake of the fan 40, and material collected in the hopper is removed by a conveyor 76. Material collected in the hopper 37 is removed by a conveyor 78.

The arrangement of two like screening shoes, one below the other and both effecting similar grading of the separated feed is not the subject of the present invention, but produces a grading and cleaning capacity approximately equal to that of a machine having twice the plan view dimensions of the machine of the invention without unduly increasing the height of the machine or the power required for running the machine. As like grades of grain coming from both screening shoes are united before being subjected to the final air cleaning operation, the cleaning and grading machine is particularly desirable for handling grains such as rice preparatory to hulling, but may of course also be employed for cleaning and grading other grains or granular substances.

In order to maintain the screens 30, 31, 32, 33 in eflicient screening condition, the present invention contemplates a pair of brush devices as indicated generally at arranged below each of the screen devices for movement therealong in order to continuously brush away any grains which tend to lodge in the meshes of the screen devices. As shown in more detail in Figs. 2, 3, 4, the brush devices each comprise an elongate bar 82 having brush bristles 84 extending upwardly there from for brushing contact with the under surface of the corresponding screen device; the bars 82 being supported in each case by an angle shaped bracket device 86. To vertically support the brush devices against the screen devices, transverse rails (Fig. 1) are provided to extend from opposite sides of the shoe structures so that the brush bar brackets 86 are supported thereon at positions spaced longitudinally of the bars while being free to slide back and forth upon the rails 90. Guide fingers 92 extend from the brush bars to engage the rails 90 so as to maintain the brush bars in proper position upon the rails.

To arrange for motivation of the brush bars back and forth from side to side under the screen devices, the yoke members 86 are provided with perforated ears 94 which receive in sliding relation therein rods 96 which are oppositely threaded as indicated at 97-98 and provided with lock nuts 99. At their opposite ends the rods 96 are threaded into couplings 100 to which attach flexible pull devices such as chains arranged for pulling the brush bars sidewise back and forth beneath the screens. Thus, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, the brush bars under the screen 30 are connected to chains or cables 101 training around guide devices such as sprockets or pulleys 102, while the same chain also connects to the coupling devices of the brush bars positioned below the second screen 31. The couplings of the brush bars below the screen 31 also connect to a pair of second chains 103 which train around idler sprockets 104 into similar connection with the brush bars under the screen 32. The coupling devices of the brush bars under the screen 32 also connect to third chains 105 which train around sprockets 106 and into connection with the brush bars under the screen 33.

The couplings of the brush bars under the screen 33 also connect to fourth chains 107 which train around pulleys 108 into pivotal connection at 109 to the ends of a pair of links 110-110, the other ends of which pivotally connect as indicated at 111-111 at spaced positions upon an endless chain 112 which trains around sprockets 113-113. One of the sprockets 113 is driven by the output shaft of a gear device 114 having a power input shaft extending therefrom for connection to a suitable power source, such as a pulley 116 arranged to be driven by a belt 118 (Fig. l) coupled to the machine drive mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 2, the links 111-111 are of such dimension and arranged so as to dispose the pull device connection point 109 thereof along the center line of the sprockets 113-113, and thus it will be appreciated that as the gear 114 operates to drive the chain 112 to run continuously in one direction, the link devices 111-111 will thereby be carried to travel around an orbit defined by the positions of the upper and lower strands of the chain and the outer peripheral portions of the sprockets 113-113; and that throughout such operation of the chain the connection point 109 of the link device will thereby describe a simple straight-line reciprocatory movement from right to left and back again as viewed in Fig. 2. Thus, the pull chain 107 is pulled upon by the connection point 109 to oscillate back and forth upon its idler pulley system, thereby pulling upon the brush bars below the screen 33 so as to move them sidewise back and forth below the screen, thereby applying thereto a vigorous brushing action throughout the entire bottom surface thereof. Inasmuch as the pull devices 105-103-101 are all interconnected with the pull member 107, they are simultaneously motivated by operation of the mechanism so as to provide similar brushing actions against the bottom surfaces of the screens 30, 31, 32.

By mounting a pair of brushes under each of the screen devices as shown in Fig. 2, the parts may be conveniently arranged so that the range of brushing action of one brush overlaps the range of brushing action of its companion brush, thereby insuring complete coverage of the screen device. Also, this shortens the required stroke of the brushing action and thereby substantially contributes to the compactness of the machine and the operating mechanism It is a particular feature of the present invention that the pull chains are readily adjustable by simple rotational adjustments of the rods 96 in their connections to the couplings 100. Such adjustments are made by first loosening lock nuts 119 and then turning the rods 96; this latter action being facilitated by provision of squared heads 120 on the rods 96 for engagement by a wrench or the like. Thus, the chains 101, 103, 105, 107 may be tightened whenever they become slack, by similar adjustments of the rods 96.

It is another particular feature of the invention that the brushes may be relatively positioned on the rods 96 by simply advancing the lock nuts 99 on the rods 96 in the direction of any desired adjustment of a given brush unit.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a shaking screen and dual parallel screen brush means disposed in screen contacting relationbeneath said screen for reciprocating brushing movement therebelow, means including tie rod means adjustably interconnecting said dual brush means for selectively varying the spacing therebetween, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod means and training around pulley devices, a drive mechanism for said pull means comprising an endless chain training around sprocket devices and arranged to be driven continuously in one direction, and a coupling device interconnecting said chain and said pull means comprising a pair of links pivotally connected to said chain at spaced positions therealong and extending therefrom in convergent relation into a single pivotal connection with said pull means, said links being so dimensioned as to thereby dispose the point of pivotal connection with said pull means to lie along the center line between said chain sprocket devices.

2. In a screening machine, the combination of a shaking screen and plural screen brush means disposed in parallel brushing relation beneath said screen for reciprocating movement therebelow, tie rod means interconnecting said plural brush means, means mounting said brush means on said tie rod means in relatively adjustable relation thereon, flexible pull means, means adjustably coupling said pull means to said rod means independently of said brush means for driving said rod means, whereby the spacing between said brush means can be selectively varied and the tension of said flexible pull means can be selectively adjusted.

3. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a shaking screen and plural screen brush means disposed in parallel relation beneath said screen for reciprocating brushing movement therebelow, pull rod means, means adjustably mounting said plural brush means on said pull rod means for selective adjustment of the spacing between said brush means, and a drive mechanism for reciprocating said pull rod means.

4. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the com bination of a shaking screen and dual screen brush means disposed in parallel relation beneath said screen for reciprocating brushing movement therebelow, brackets extending from said brush means, a rod slip-fitted through said brush brackets and having threaded ends, said brackets being movable toward and away from each other along said rod, lock nuts engaging the threaded ends of said rod and bearing against said brackets for independently adjustably positioning said brackets thereon to thereby control the limits of travel of said brush means, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the latter.

5. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a shaking screen and dual screen brush means disposed in parallel relation beneath said screen for reciprocating brushing movement therebelow, brackets extending from said brush means, a tie rod having oppositely threaded ends slip fitted through said brush brackets, lock nuts bearing against opposite sides of said bracket and engaging the threaded ends of said rod to adjustably position said brackets thereon and thereby control the limits of travel of said brush means, said brackets being movable toward and away from each other along said rod and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the later, said flexible pull means having threaded socket devices at the ends thereof engaging the oppositely threaded end portions of said rod whereby rotation of the latter in opposite directions will alternately tighten and loosen said flexible pull means.

6. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a shaking screen and dual screen brush means disposed in parallel relation beneath said screen for reciprocating movement therebelow, brackets extending from said brush means, a rod having screwthreaded portions slip-fitted through said brush brackets, said brackets being movable relative to each other along said rod, lock nuts engaging the threaded portions of said rod at opposite sides of said brackets for selectively and independently adjustably positioning said brackets thereon, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the latter.

7. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the com bination of a shaking screen and screen brush means disposed beneath said screen for reciprocating movement therebelow, a bracket extending from said brush means, brush bracket mounting means including a rod having threaded end portions including a screw-threaded portion slip-fitted through said brush bracket, said bracket being movable along said rod, lock nuts engaging the threaded portion of said rod and adjustably positioning said bracket thereon, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the latter, means having thereaded socket devices at the ends thereof engaging the threaded end portions of said rod whereby rotation of the latter will tighten or loosen said flexible pull means.

8. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a screen and screen brush means disposed beneath said screen for reciprocating movement therebelow, a bracket extending from said brush means, a rod slip-fitted through said brush bracket, lock nuts bearing said flexible pull against said bracket and engaging said rod and thereby adjustably positioning said bracket thereon, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the latter, said pull means being independent of the brush bracket connection to said rod.

9. In a grain cleaning and grading machine, the combination of a screen and screen brush means disposed beneath said screen for reciprocating movement therebelow, a rod disposed adjacent said brush means and having oppositely threaded end portions, means interconnecting said brush means and said rod, and flexible pull means coupled to said rod for reciprocating the latter, said flexible pull means having threaded socket devices at the ends thereof engaging the threaded opposite end portions of said rod whereby rotation of the latter in opposite directions will tighten and loosen said flexible pull means.

10. In a grain cleaning and grading machine having a plurality of superposed screens, a plurality of opposed idler guide pulleys adjacent thereto, and reciprocating drive means, the combination therewith of elongated flexible pull means trained around said idler pulleys, opposed tie rod coupling means carried by said flexible pull means at spaced points therealong including the opposite ends thereof, tie rod means positioned beneath said screen elements and adjustably connected to said opposed rod coupling means, means connecting said flexible pull means to said drive means for being reciprocated thereby, said tie rod means mounting in independently positionally adjustable relation thereon pairs of brush devices having the bristles thereof in brushing contact with the underside of said screen elements to brush the same, said tie rod and rod coupling means enabling adjustment of slack in said pull means, and the mounting of said brush devices enabling selective positional adjustment thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

